• About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Donation
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Archaeology News
  • Home
  • News
    • Archaeology
    • Anthropology
    • Paleontology
  • Academics
    • Books
    • Conferences
    • Universities
  • Articles
  • VR Tours
  • Quiz & Game
  • Download
  • Encyclopedia
  • Forum
Archaeology News
No Result
View All Result
Home News Anthropology

Ancient “trophy head” shows child victim consumed psychedelic San Pedro in Peru

Dario Radley by Dario Radley
November 1, 2022
A A
Share on FacebookShare on Linkedin.Share on RedditShare on Whatsapp

A child in Peru was sacrificed thousands of years ago as part of an ancient ritual, with the head chopped at the neck and made into a kind of trophy. A recent analysis of a single hair taken from the mummy’s skull reveals that the child consumed a psychoactive cactus before execution.

Ancient "Trophy Head" Shows Child Victim Consumed Psychedelic San Pedro in Peru
Two of the trophy heads, one of a woman and one of a child. Credit: D. Socha / Journal of Archaeological Science, CC BY-NC-ND

The child’s preserved head was one of 22 human remains -found in the Yauca Valley, Cahuachi, and Estaqueria in Peru- associated with the ancient Nazca society examined in a new study; All of these people lived during the pre-Hispanic period (3500 BCE to 476 CE).

The child tested positive for a high amount of “mescaline,” a hallucinogen caused by excessive San Pedro Cactus use.

The same study discovered ayahuasca use among other mummified individuals from the Early Nazca Period (100 BCE to 450 CE), providing the first archaeological evidence for the consumption of these two psychedelic plants.

Ancient "Trophy Head" Shows Child Victim Consumed Psychedelic San Pedro in Peru
Credit: D. Socha / Journal of Archaeological Science, CC BY-NC-ND

“The trophy head is the first case of the consumption of San Pedro by an individual living on the southern Peruvian coast,” study lead author Dagmara Socha, a doctoral candidate in the Center for Andean Studies at the University of Warsaw in Poland, told Live Science.

RelatedStories

Roman burial of infant twins in Croatia linked to lead poisoning

Roman burial of infant twins in Croatia linked to lead poisoning

May 31, 2025
4,500-year-old clay baby rattles in Syria reveal mass production and parenting in the Bronze Age

4,500-year-old clay baby rattles in Syria reveal mass production and parenting in the Bronze Age

May 29, 2025

“It’s also the first evidence that some of the victims who were made into trophy heads were given stimulants before they died.”

“The results of the study support the idea that some of the trophy heads dated to the Early Nazca Period could have been obtained from ritually sacrificed victims, rather than during warfare,” the study reads.

The study also examined the hair of two male trophy skulls, none containing any drug compounds. They believe this could be due to “different social origins of the victims” or other simple factors such as hair structure or preservation.

The finding has been published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

More information: Dagmara M. Socha, Marzena Sykutera, Giuseppe Orefici. (2022). Use of psychoactive and stimulant plants on the south coast of Peru from the Early Intermediate to Late Intermediate Period, Journal of Archaeological Science, 148, 105688, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2022.105688

ShareTweetShareShareSend

You May Also Like...

Early humans used ochre for advanced toolmaking at Blombos Cave, study finds
Archaeology

Early humans used ochre for advanced toolmaking at Blombos Cave, study finds

July 1, 2025
Ancient DNA reveals rare leprosy strain in the Americas thousands of years before European contact
Anthropology

Ancient DNA reveals rare leprosy strain in the Americas thousands of years before European contact

July 1, 2025
British archaeologists uncover lost Egyptian city of Imet with rare tower houses and temple to cobra goddess Wadjet
Archaeology

British archaeologists uncover lost Egyptian city of Imet with rare tower houses and temple to cobra goddess Wadjet

June 30, 2025
Intact 7th century Etruscan tomb discovered in San Giuliano necropolis near Rome
Archaeology

Intact 7th century Etruscan tomb discovered in San Giuliano necropolis near Rome

June 30, 2025
DNA reveals female-centered society in 9,000-year-old Neolithic city of Çatalhöyük
Anthropology

DNA reveals female-centered society in 9,000-year-old Neolithic city of Çatalhöyük

June 29, 2025
Rare 1,800-year-old Roman soldier’s wrist purse unearthed in Czech Republic reveals life on the empire’s frontier
Archaeology

Rare 1,800-year-old Roman soldier’s wrist purse unearthed in Czech Republic reveals life on the empire’s frontier

June 28, 2025

Follow us


Instagram
247K

Facebook
110K

Threads
43K

LinkedIn
12K

Twitter
6K

YouTube
1K
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Viking age DNA reveals 9,000-year-old HIV-resistant gene originating near the Black Sea

Viking age DNA reveals 9,000-year-old HIV-resistant gene originating near the Black Sea

May 18, 2025
Genetic study reveals the origin and diversity of the Huns

European Huns were not of Turkic origin but had ancient Siberian roots, linguistic study reveals

June 24, 2025
Secrets of the mysterious Gobi wall revealed: archaeologists uncover imperial purpose behind 200-mile structure

Secrets of the mysterious Gobi wall revealed: archaeologists uncover imperial purpose behind 200-mile structure

May 28, 2025
Rare 1,800-year-old Roman soldier’s wrist purse unearthed in Czech Republic reveals life on the empire’s frontier

Rare 1,800-year-old Roman soldier’s wrist purse unearthed in Czech Republic reveals life on the empire’s frontier

June 28, 2025
Sinkhole in York uncovers remains of medieval St Leonard’s Hospital, one of northern England’s largest

Sinkhole in York uncovers remains of medieval St Leonard’s Hospital, one of northern England’s largest

June 22, 2025
$1 million prize offered to decipher 5,300-year-old Indus Valley script

$1 million prize offered to decipher 5,300-year-old Indus Valley script

Oldest ever genetic data from a human relative found in 2-million-year-old fossilized teeth

Oldest ever genetic data from a human relative found in 2-million-year-old fossilized teeth

A 21-year-old student successfully deciphered the first word from the Herculaneum scrolls, charred during Mount Vesuvius' eruption

A 21-year-old student successfully deciphered the first word from the Herculaneum scrolls, charred during Mount Vesuvius’ eruption

New evidence reveals the source of mercury in the mausoleum of the first Qin emperor

New evidence reveals the source of mercury in the mausoleum of the first Qin emperor

Oldest US firearm discovered in Arizona: a 500-year-old relic of Coronado's expedition

Oldest US firearm discovered in Arizona: a 500-year-old relic of Coronado’s expedition

Early humans used ochre for advanced toolmaking at Blombos Cave, study finds

Early humans used ochre for advanced toolmaking at Blombos Cave, study finds

July 1, 2025
Ancient DNA reveals rare leprosy strain in the Americas thousands of years before European contact

Ancient DNA reveals rare leprosy strain in the Americas thousands of years before European contact

July 1, 2025
British archaeologists uncover lost Egyptian city of Imet with rare tower houses and temple to cobra goddess Wadjet

British archaeologists uncover lost Egyptian city of Imet with rare tower houses and temple to cobra goddess Wadjet

June 30, 2025
Intact 7th century Etruscan tomb discovered in San Giuliano necropolis near Rome

Intact 7th century Etruscan tomb discovered in San Giuliano necropolis near Rome

June 30, 2025
DNA reveals female-centered society in 9,000-year-old Neolithic city of Çatalhöyük

DNA reveals female-centered society in 9,000-year-old Neolithic city of Çatalhöyük

June 29, 2025

Archaeology News online magazine

Archaeology News is an international online magazine that covers all aspects of archaeology.











Categories

  • Academics
    • Books
    • Conferences
    • Universities
  • Articles
  • Download
  • Game
  • News
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Paleontology
  • Quiz
  • Tours

Subscribe to our newsletter

© 2024 - Archaeology News Online Magazine. All Rights Reserved.

  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Donation
  • Contact

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

  • Home
  • News
    • Archaeology
    • Anthropology
    • Paleontology
  • Academics
    • Books
    • Conferences
    • Universities
  • Articles
  • VR Tours
  • Quiz & Game
  • Download
  • Encyclopedia
  • Forum

About  .  Contact  .  Donation

© 2024 - Archaeology News Online Magazine. All Rights Reserved

We use cookies to improve your experience and enable functionality and security of this site. Further detail is available in our Privacy Policy. By accepting all cookies, you consent to our use of cookies and use of data.